Free tool
Plays-like yardage calculator
How far does the shot really play? Enter what you are facing and get the number to play, with a line for each thing that moved it.
Plays like
174yds
+24 yards from 150. Two clubs more. No aim off needed.
Why this number
- DistanceAs measured or set150
- Air58°F, 0% humidity, dense air carries less+2
- Wind12 mph into you+17
- Uphill15 ft above you, about 1 yard per 3 ft+5
How plays-like yardage works
The yardage on the flag is the distance to the target. Your ball does not fly through a flat, calm, perfect day. Wind pushes it, dense cold air slows it, thin air lets it fly, and a hill changes how far you have to send it.
- Wind is split into the part along your line and the part across it. The along part adds or takes yards. The across part pushes the ball sideways, so you aim off.
- Air is mostly about how dense it is. Cold, low air is dense and costs distance. Warm, high air is thin and gives some back.
- Hills add or take about a yard for every three feet of height between you and the target.
Pick the club for the plays-like number, then aim for the crosswind. That is all this page does, and it is what the Pocket Looper caddie does on every shot.
Questions golfers ask
What does plays-like yardage mean?
It is the distance a shot feels like once wind, air, hills and altitude are counted. If a 150 yard shot plays like 165, you pick the club you would hit 165 yards on a calm day at sea level.
How much does wind matter?
More than most golfers think, and it hurts more than it helps. A headwind takes off more distance than the same tailwind adds. A 15 mph wind in your face can add 20 yards or more to a mid iron, while the same wind behind you takes off less.
What does cold or hot air do to the ball?
Cold air is denser, so the ball flies shorter. Hot air is thinner, so it flies farther. As a rule of thumb, a 10 degree drop costs about a yard on a 150 yard shot. Between 80 degrees and a chilly 50, that is about 3 yards.
How does altitude change the distance?
Thin air gives the ball less drag. At about 5,000 feet, a 150 yard shot plays about 9 yards shorter than at sea level. At sea level, leave altitude at zero.
What is the uphill and downhill rule of thumb?
Add about one yard for every three feet the target is above you, and take off one yard for every three feet below. The calculator uses that rule on top of the wind and air numbers.
Is this the same number the Pocket Looper caddie gives?
Yes for wind, temperature and altitude: it uses the same flight engine, set for an average golfer (a 162 yard 7 iron). On the course the caddie also uses your own bag, the live weather, humidity and your lie.
Get this on every shot
Pocket Looper reads the wind, the air and your lie for you on the course, and keeps the games for your group, free.